Preoperative Application of Chlorhexidine to Reduce Infection With Cesarean Section After Labor
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2021-02-11
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Surgical site infections (SSI) are the second most common cause of nosocomial infections
accounting for 15% of all nosocomial infections among hospitalized patients and 38% of
nosocomial infections in surgical patients. In obstetric patients, infectious morbidity (i.e.
SSI, endometritis) occurs in 5-10% of cesarean sections, which is 5-fold higher than vaginal
deliveries. Additionally, infectious morbidity is thought to be highest in those patients who
have cesarean sections after undergoing labor.
Chlorhexidine, a chemical antiseptic effective on gram positive and gram negative bacteria,
reduces skin microflora/colonization but it is not clear if it decreases the risk of SSI.
Historically, chlorhexidine has been studied and used in orthopedic and cardiac implant
surgeries. Research on the use of chlorhexidine for SSI prevention in cesarean sections is
limited. This study intends to evaluate the effectiveness of use of both chlorhexidine
gluconate (CHG) wipe and vaginal scrub in reducing SSI in patients undergoing cesarean
section that have previously been laboring. Patients will be randomized to one of two groups:
wash with both a pre-operative CHG cloth prior to surgery and chlorhexidine gluconate vaginal
scrub in addition to standard preoperative scrub as compared to standard preoperative scrub
alone.